Nalbina Fortress

Nalbina Fortress

ENEMIES

ITEMS

The beginning sequence of Final Fantasy XII provides very little complication for even the most novice of gamers. Indeed, as you begin your quest you'll be asked to perform a series of basic in-game actions that'll prove your proficiency (such as moving your character, the camera, and talking to others). Once that's all said and done, you can move forward. You'll be attacked by a single enemy, and before you know it, you'll be thrust into your very first boss battle, just like that.

Boss - Air Cutter Remora

Air Cutter Remora is the game's first boss. An enemy resembling a sentry robot, Remora has surprising resilience considering how many characters are attacking it simultaneously. Therefore, you'll need to put in a concerted effort to defeat it convincingly. This will be only your second battle of the game, so it's a learning process. Try using Thunder magic along with your basic melee attacks, and get used to the battle system. Your party members will pick up any slack along the way. Be weary of the Remora Strike, a special attack Air Cutter Remora can use. However, you should certainly be able to defeat it and send it into retreat before it is able to unleash it.

After the boss battle, proceed forward, where you will be intercepted by a number of Imperial Swordsman. Proceed to slay them (again, you can let your party do most of the work, but it doesn't hurt to get involved yourself) and then run up the stairs ahead. After a brief cutscene, you'll gain control again. Ignore the path heading west (it's a dead end with nothing of interest) and continue northward. You'll run into a slew of enemies at this point in the form of more Imperial Swordsman, as well as Imperial Magi (Magus plural), weak spell-casting foes. Before heading north some more, be sure to explore the storage room on your right. You'll find a Potion in a basket in the far corner of the room.

Continue northward. Your team will undoubtidly lead you in the direction of a staircase leading upward (the stairs leading downward are currently blocked off). But before you follow your team into further battle, follow your trusty RPG instincts and explore the corridor beyond where the staircase is. It leads you, ultimately, to a dead end, but not before you claim another Potion for your inventory, which you can pick up near a portable staircase tucked into a corner. Then, run up the stairs, fending off more foes. As usual, try to get in your own hits, but rely on your party to do most of the dirty work for you. Up the stairs, you will run into a save crystal, your first of the game, so save your game. Then, continue up the stairs (there's nothing else of interest on that floor), which will catalyze another cutscene.

Following that cutscene, in which Reks offers to fend off oncoming attackers while the rest of the knights scurry off to the king, you will have to fend off three foes. It seems a bit overwhelming, but considering the enemies can only knock 6-9 HP per attack off of you, and you can kill each in six hits, you should be just fine. Following the battle, you can heal yourself with your Cure magic and head back to the save crystal to save your game again. Then, proceed up the staircase and through a passage door into the final stretch of the fortress. Eventually, you'll run into an important, scene-ending cutscene where more of the storyline comes together.